ImPRESSions©

The Official Newsletter Of The American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association

March / April 2005 Vol. 38 No. 3 AARWBA Thanks Our Official 50th Anniversary Sponsors: (Click on any logo to go to that sponsor’s website!)

American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, Inc. - www.aarwba.org ”Dedicated To Increasing Media Coverage of Motor Sports” IMPORTANT REMINDER: RSVP for INDY 500 BREAKFAST

If you haven’t already done so, mark your calendar NOW for the 50th Anniversary Celebration breakfast in Indianapolis. As usual, it will be the day before the 500, Saturday, May 28, 8 a.m., at the pavilion at the Brickyard Crossing at the Speed- way. and Firestone will again co-host this important event.

The highlight will be announcement of winners of the annual journalism contest and distribu- 842-7005 tion of $10,000 in prize money from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Also, the Straight Shooter Award, in memory of Art Flores and Ron Hussey, and $250 prize courtesy of Fernandez Racing will be presented to a member photographer. Plus, of course, door prizes.

We expect several special guest speakers and VIPs to attend to help honor AARWBA members on this special occasion.

President Dusty Brandel reminds all that reservations are a must! So, please RSVP to Jack Peck at: [email protected] or Andy Peck at: [email protected].

COCA-COLA REFRESHES AARWBA MEMBERS Coca-Cola has stepped-up to support AARWBA’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Everyone who attends the May 28 breakfast in Indy will leave with a free two-liter bottle of Coke or Diet Coke. A selection of Coca-Cola products also will be available for you to enjoy that morning during the ceremonies and there will be some Coke-logo door prizes. Meijer stores and Coca-Cola, spon- sors of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports entry in the Indy 500 with driver Richie Hearn, are spon- soring the April and May AARWBA newsletters.

Our thanks to Bret Holaday of Coca-Cola in Indianapolis, and to Scott Cronk of TYLAS Interna- tional, whose company helps manage the Meijer/Coca-Cola Indy 500 team sponsorship. FYI, Cronk is a good source for media doing “business of racing” stories during May.

AARWBA 50th Anniversary Celebration Chairman Michael Knight represents the Meijer/Coca- Cola Indy 500 team sponsorship, so contact him for more information. All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 2 GOOD NEWS

AARWBA will have a display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway media center (fourth level) this May and also at the Brickyard 400. We are working on final details, but Ron McQueeney is helping by printing some historic photos, and I hope the Jerry Titus Trophy will be there as well. Of course, we’ll have membership application forms and news releases there. Check it out when you 842-7005 are at IMS and be sure to send your non-member media and PR friends over to take a look. Thank you to Fred Nation and Ron Green for this great opportunity.

It’s rewarding to see companies utilize their AARWBA official 50th anniversary sponsorships. Valvoline has our 50th anniversary logo on the front of its media CD for NASCAR driver Scott Riggs. If you need a CD, send a note to [email protected]. Ford has printed the logo on the inside cover of its media notebook. This helps increase our visibility within the industry. Our thanks to Barry Bronson at Valvoline and Kevin Kennedy of Ford. Kevin reminds us that members can get updated information on Ford Racing at media.ford.com.

We are inviting a number of motorsports’ VIPs to attend the annual Indy 500 breakfast to help us celebrate the 50th anniversary. We also have invited a few special speakers and are working on some surprises. This is in keeping with our goal of making AARWBA membership more valuable to you and potential new members. Even if you haven’t attended the breakfast in recent years, please make an extra effort to be there May 28, to join in this special gathering to mark our Golden Anniver- sary. Of course, the $10,000 in prize money from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for winners in our journalism contest will be distributed.

Please be sure to look at aarwba.org on a regular basis in the next several weeks for details on date and time of the announcement of our Newsmaker of the Half-Century award this May at IMS.

Finally, in wrapping-up this “good news” report, the best news I’ve heard recently came from Bob Jenkins, who has signed-on as a co-host of Speed TV’s Saturday-Sunday Speed News show. Con- gratulations, Bob, and good luck. Maybe some AARWBA reporters and columnists can help by giving Bob a plug for his new assignment. All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 3 Harvey Duck Remembered By Dick Mittman

Harvey Duck wore these outrageous hats and sunglasses and told similar jokes before distributing the STP money to the media contest award winners during the annual AARWBA breakfast at the Indianapo- lis Motor Speedway the day before the -Mile Race.

There was an STP media breakfast at the Holiday Inn prior to the , too, and Duck was front and center there as he contin- ued to make sure sponsor STP got its due mention on television and radio and in the newspaper sports pages. It was a continuation of the way STP founder Andy Granatelli sold his product through race car and driver sponsorships. 842-7005

Duck also became King ’s personal p.r. person when STP signed the NASCAR racing legend to a long-term personal ser- vices contract.

Duck called an end to his career in 1998 and retired to Ormond Beach, Fla., with his wife, Lexy. On March 22, he died in Ormond Memorial Harvey Duck and Richard Petty Hospital of heart failure after being taken there with flu-like symptoms. Photo by Dozier Mobley He was 80.

“Great p.r. guy,” Granatelli said. “Worked hard. Very talented.”

Petty concurred.

“Harvey was one of the original p.r. guys in motorsports,” Petty said in a written statement, “and especially in NASCAR racing. He came to STP from a big Chicago newspaper, and there hadn’t been much of that at all for race teams or sponsors. Harvey knew the sport and he knew the media.

“A lot of the things people are doing today in p.r. started with guys like Harvey Duck. Add in the fact he was a pretty nice guy, and he was fun to have around. We’ve missed him since he retired, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Duck not only was involved with Petty in NASCAR, but also handled the p.r. duties at the Indy 500 and other CART races for STP-sponsored teams. Drivers included Mario, Michael, Jeff and and , who won Indy in 1982 with STP on his car.

Additionally, each May Duck ran the STP suite on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Tower Terrace grandstand north of Gasoline Alley where racing people could stop in for food and drink. STP for many years sponsored the AARWBA print and photo media contest and part of the fun of the annual Indy breakfast was anticipating what ridiculous outfit he might wear or whom he might insult.

Although Petty never drove at the Speedway Duck would pick a day in May and bring the NASCAR legend to the track. And his appearance always received TV and newspaper attention in midst of busy Indy 500 practice.

Prior to become a p.r. person Duck was an award-winning auto racing writer for the Chicago Daily News, which folded in 1978 and opened the door for him to Bill Dredge’s STP job offer.

Born in Seattle, Duck attended Princeton University and the University of Michigan. He worked as a sportswriter with the Daily News. During this time not only his auto racing stories but those pertaining to prep sports, outdoors and skiing won national awards recognition.

...continued on next page All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 4 Harvey Duck

During his stint at the Daily News he was: Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame for his coverage of the high school sport; received the “Conservation Communicator of the Year” Award in 1966 from the Illinois Federation of Sportsmen for his coverage of environmental issues; won awards from the United States Ski Association, the Outdoor Writers Association of America, the AARWBA, the Eastern Motorsports Press Association, the State of Wisconsin Conservation Department, the Chicago Park District, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, and other honors.

“Our dad was most proud of his opportunity to bring the world of sports to a city with as rich of a sports heritage as Chicago through his writing for the Pulitizer Prize-winning Chicago Daily News,” said son Keith, director of the Raging Buffalo Snowboard Park. 842-7005 Actually, Duck came into his auto racing assignment late in life.

Another writer had initiated auto racing coverage at the Daily News in the mid-1960s. The writer departed the paper so Duck, who was the skiing writer at the time, was moved over to replace him. He had little knowl- edge of the sport but quickly adapted to his new “beat.”

Duck moved to Boco Raton, Fla., during his time with STP. CART held a race at Tamiami Park in West Miami during that period and Duck hosted a popular party at his home for the media and others.

He moved to Ormond Beach in 1997 following his marriage to wife Lexy. After his retirement from STP in 1998 he handled p.r. work for Team Seattle, which competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona race each January. With his help, the team raised more than $1 million that is being used to provided medical care for indigent children in the northwestern United States.

Survivors in addition to Lexy and Keith, include: daughter Linda Rooney and grandchildren Bobby, Brynn, Aileen and Reid Rooney. Memorial denotations are asked to be made to Pattie and ’s Victory Junction Gang Camp, benefiting terminally ill children, at 4500 Adam’s Way, Randleman,

Cards may be sent to Lexy at: 262 Amberwood Ct., Ormond Beach, Fla. 32174.

A memorial service was held at the Volusia Memorial Funeral Home on March 25. A memorial banquet is being planned for July in Chicago.

AARWBA Presentations

Les Unger of (R) receives the AARWBA 50th Anniversary sponsorship plaque from AARWBA Western VP Michael F. Hollander at the Toyota Media luncheon.

Russ Cugno photo for AARWBA. All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 5 AARWBA Presentations

It took awhile...but J.C. Agajanian (right) was finally able to present the “Horsepower Trophy” to NASCAR 2004 Craftsman Truck Series Champion, with help from AARWBA Western

Vice President, Mike Hollander. at 842-7005 California Speedway.

Shav Glick (left) with Valvoline Driver Scott Riggs holding the Eagle One trophy alongside Cary Agajanian and J.C. Agajanian Jr., at California Speedway in Fontana

AARWBA 50th Anniversary Chairman Michael Knight (left) helps present AARWBA’s sponsor appreciation award to Fernandez Racing co-owners Adrian Fernandez and Tom Anderson at Phoenix, with the assistance of VPs Lewis Franck and Mike Harris. Photo courtesy of Ron McQueeney All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 6 AARWBA Presentations

Jimmie Johnson (left) accepts his All-America Team award from AARWBA President Dusty Brandel 842-7005

Barry Bronson (left), of Valvoline (Ashland Inc.) communications, accepts AARWBA’s appreciation award as an official 50th anniversary sponsor from Eastern Vice President Lewis Franck at the California Speedway.

NASCAR President Mike Helton accepts AARWBA’s appreciation award, as an official 50th anniversary sponsor, from Dusty Brandel, at the California Speedway. All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 7 Leno Buys A Book! AARWBA member and author Robert Genat has been on the book-signing trail. In December, he and co-author David Newhardt, participated in a successful signing at Autobooks in Burbank. The featured book that day was Mopar 50. Jay Leno, a frequent Autobooks customer, stopped by in his 1966 Olds Toronado to pick up a copy. 842-7005 Genat and Newhardt then helped the Petersen Museum kick off its new muscle car display with a signing in early February. Together, these two prolific authors are responsible for 40 automotive titles.

Genat’s next release, due out in the spring and co-authored with Ken Gross, is Hot Rod Heritage, a look at the 25 historic hot rods that set the trends. (LtoR) Robert Genat, Jay Leno, David Newhardt

Meet Your Newsletter Editor - Andrew S. Hartwell We hope AARWBA members like the recent changes we have made to our newsletter. My name is Andy Hartwell and, as your Newsletter Editor these last few months, I have enjoyed contributing my limited time (and even further limited talents!) to the task of getting good information into the hands of my peers.

When not pasting into the next newsletter all the great news and photos collected by Dusty Brandel and Michael Knight, I write about – and photograph - the people in sportscar racing. My column “Through The Esses” appears on www.theracesite.com. I have covered sportscar racing for www.dailysportscar.com and www.totalmotorsport.com and (the old) www.sportscarworld.com. I also served as Senior Editor-Sportscars for the now defunct www.AllRaceMagazine.com. And I am the Senior Editor/Principal at www.ashautomobilia.com

I am also a certified professional (PHR) in the Human Resources field but my passion lies in talking to “the people who make the cars go”. My wife Shirley and I have been married since 1972 (she knows from endurance!) and we live on Long Island (New York) – a place that used to have open roads you could drive on alone. Sadly, that is no longer the case. Our son Christopher, and his wife Michelle, live in Arlington, Virginia and they both work in Washington, D.C.

I am really glad to be able to lend a hand (both of them actually) to putting out a professional newsletter each month. As a member of the AARWBA I feel it is an honor to be proactive in this manner. And besides, the money I make here is almost enough to buy me a donut – if I find a dollar on the street! All kidding aside, it is my pleasure to serve the organization in a meaningful way, and I welcome any and all feedback about how to make our newsletter even better! You can contact me at [email protected].

Keep your speed up! ...continued on next page

AARWBA Members! Tell Us Your Story! We think AARWBA members would enjoy hearing about the events and activities their peers are involved with. That is why we are encouraging every member to always feel free to send a “News Note” to AARWBA President Dusty Brandel at [email protected] or to your Newsletter Editor Andy Hartwell at [email protected] All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 8 News Notes Continued... Stormin’ on the Tube

AARWBA Past President and award winning magazine writer “Stormin” Norman Froscher received recognition from the televi- sion media as he was featured on a Gainesville television station’s (WCJB) evening news as “Redefining Retirement”.

Froscher, on hand at Gainesville Raceway to cover the Lucas Oil Southeast Division 2 points meet, was interviewed by the station’s David Harrison in the Norm Froscher press room and then 842-7005 Harrison accompanied Froscher through the pits where he caught the cigar-smoking scribe interviewing several drivers. Norm Froscher (L) with John Force Harrison said he chose the 74-year-old Froscher as a subject because of his 52-year journalistic history and as a timely piece in advance of the Gatornationals in Gainesville, March 17-20.

When asked if anyone saw the piece, Froscher said “Yeah, I got responses beginning at the grocery store early the next day.”

As a free lancer, Froscher says his job description includes the grocery shopping for wife Marilyn and son Teague, who is also a budding auto racing writer (www.competitionplus.com)

A Letter From Hector To Dusty Dusty, Thank you (and our sponsors!) for the 50th Anniversary gifts. I simply wanted to share with you, and our members, that I’ve been racing my 1973 240Z Datsun for the past 10 years in the Southern California area. Living in La Verne, my home track is the wonderful California Speedway.

Coming down the front straightaway with the pit area on your left and the grandstands on your right you can’t help but to think that you’re at the exact same place where the great cars and drivers were only a weekend before. For a club racer that’s a great feeling!. Then, you approach Turn One flat-out and, scared to death, there’s no more room for romantic thoughts.

I’ll sew the AARWBA badge on my driver suit. Do you have any decals to place on the race car?. Let me know. Somebody looking at the photograph I enclose with these lines might like to know that I modified the Datsun to make it look like a 1954 Ferrari 375 Mille Miglia. Within my racing circles is known as the “Ferratsun”, half Ferrari and half Datsun.

If any AARWBA members see our car in the paddock, please stop by. The cooler is always full! Thank you for everything and, as they say, “we’ll see you at the races!”

Sincerely. Hector Cademartori (Cademartori is an artist and correspondent and a long-time member of the AARWBA. He also designed the “Horsepower Trophy”.) All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 9 News Notes Continued... Kay Presto Honored In New York

Kay Presto, owner of Presto Productions in Ontario, CA was honored in New York on March 15 as their ”Woman of Achievement” by the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). NAFE is the largest women’s business organization in the United States, and this award was given at their national conference held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers. Kay served as Western V.P. of AARWBA for seven years.

Presto received this honor from NAFE for her diverse coverage of motorsports in six different forms of media — television, radio, journalism, 842-7005 photography, public relations, and Web site. She currently has 54 national Kay Presto and state awards in all six forms of media. Her stories are also published in “Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul,” and she is the author of the award-winning book, “Power Basics of Auto Racing.”

During her New York visit, Presto was also a guest at the St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast honoring New York State Governor George E. Pataki.

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This month’s issue of ImPRESSions is presented by

Meijer stores and Coca-Cola extend congratulations, and thank you, to all AARWBA members for 50 years of excellence in motorsports journalism. Watch for the No. 70 Meijer/Coca-Cola Special, with driver Richie Hearn and owner Sam Schmidt, at the Indianapolis 500. For media information on the Meijer/Coca-Cola team, please contact Michael Knight at [email protected]. All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Avenue Pass Burbank, 91505-2703 CA (818) 10